Fuel-feed system



TNT FFICE.

WILLIAM II. WIMSLOW, 'on raven nouns/r, ILLINOIS, Assienon 'ro wINs'LOW SAFETY HIGH-:PRESSURE BOILER COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FUEL-FEED svsrEM.

Application inea July 14,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Winslow, a citizen of the United States, residing at vRiver Forest, in the lcounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fuel-Feed Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, .reference being had to the accompanying drawin s, forming a part of thisspecification.

-y inventionrelates to"V fuel feed systems. My invention is primarily` intended for supplying liquid fuel to the "',type of vapor- Y izing burner generally employed in'connec- 'tionn'with the boiler'of a steam driven vehicle orthe. like. It will be l"apparent, however, from the following detailed description, that .my invention is characterized by certain features which makey it admirably adaptable to other liquid feed systems `as Well, such as for supplying gasolene to the carbureter ofyan automobile' internal combustion engine; or for feeding lubricating oil to a number of bearings orthe like..

Insupplying liquid fuel to the vaporizing burner offa steam, boiler, it is necessary that the fuel be fed under considerable pressure "'so that there will be arninimum V*tendency for the fuel to clog and carboiiize inthe pre-A heating tubes. It is also necessary that the feed of the fuel be at a uniform pressure, as a pulsating pressure Awill produce a surging flame at the burner. y

The prior systems of force .feeding fuel to the burners of steam automobiles have in general utilized air under pressuroto obtain the required uniformity of fuel pressure, this air being usually contained in' 4either the main supply tank or in an auxiliary tank connected to the main tank through a check valve. These systems havev necessitated both manually operated and engine-driven air pumps and, where the air is contained in the main tank, are particu-Y larlyobjectionable due 'tothe entire loss of pressure in refilling the tank. Systems ein- .ploying an auxiliary tank have a further 'i disadvantage in that they require an addi tional engine driven fuel pump for pumpingthe fuel from the main tank to the auxiliary tank.

. I have provided an" improved fuel feed y'system dispensing with air'pressure in `the "system and With all the 'auxiliary devices Specification OI" Letters Patent.

Patented `@ingu 10, 1920.

191.9. Serial N0. 310,778.

gine driven fuel pump which draws fuel from the supply tank and delivers it under pressure to the vaporizing burner. A uni-1 formity of pressure is maintained through the provision of a spring reservoir having connection with the fuel delivery pipe, which absorbs the pulsations of the fuel pump. This spring reservoir stores a reserve Vquantity of -iuel which is fed under ceases operating, as during periods when the functions to automatically byepass the pump when a predetermined pressure in the delivery pipe is obtained, and to thereafter shunt a portion of the fuel back into the supply tank without lowering the pressure or creatiiig pulsations in the pressure in the delivery pipe.

In the accompanying drawing I have diagranimatically illustrated one preferred ein bodiment of my improved system to acquaint those skilled in the art how to practise the same.

The supply tank l is connected to the inlet port of a fuel pump 2 through a pipe 3 whichopens into the bottoml of the tank l. Theft-nel. pump 2 is preferably a reciprocating plungerv pump driven from an eccentric 4, which vhas any suitable connection with one ofthe operating shafts of the engine or vehicle. The pump 2 is provided with the usual inl't and outlet ports which are governed by suitable check valves. The outlet port has communication with a delivery pipe 5, extending to the vaporizing burner 6.

This burner may be ofany preferred type, comprising the customary prelieating tube -or tubes, the pilot burner and the main chanical details of this burner and I shall '65 pressure to the system when the fuel pump therefore make no' detailed descriptionwofr1 the same.

A reservoirpipe 11 branches off of the delivery pipe 5, byway of the T connetio l2 and eXtends down and taps 'into thebo tpm, and Aat one endof, the reservoir piston 15 is disposed in the reservoir cylinder and is arranged to reciprocate to admit.

and discharge fuel to and'from the cylinder 'and to control the port 14. An internal flange 16, formed integral in the cylinder 13,

. serves to limit the motion of the piston to the left, so that the piston will not uncover s the port la in its travel in this direction.

it! he sleeve pistonjl is closed off at its center hy a web l? which has an annular boss y 18 projecting from vthe rear side thereof.

@ne end of acompression spring 19 encircles this boss and the other end encircles a ysimilar boss 21 formed on an adjustable cap member 22, Which closes olf the other end' of -'the cylinder 13. A hand pump 23, mounted on the dash of the machine or in some location readily accessible to, the driver, has inlet communication with the supply tank 1 for drawing fuel therefrom through a pipe 24 which branches off of a "i" connection 25 interposed in the pipe line 3. The' outlet port of this pump has comniunication through the pipe 26 with the left hand end of the reservoir cylinder 13.

The operation of the system is as follows:

The fuel pump 2 is so designed that when the engine is ruiming atan average speed the volumetric displacement of the pump ivill he slightly greater than the maximum rate Aof consumption at the burner 6, z'. e., greater than the volume consumed by both thel main and pilot 1nurners when Working at their maximum rates. films, a surplus quantity of fuel will gradually accumulate in the reservoir cylinder 13 and Will force back the' spring pressed piston 15 until the hypass port .At is uncovered. Thereafter, all of the surplus fuel will be shunted or bypassed back into the main tank 1, an idle circulation of surplus fuel occurringr through the fuel pump 2, the pipe 11, the spring reservoir 13, the supply tank 1 and hack into the fuel pump 2, as long as the engine continues to run. at an average speed or higher. During this phase of the operation, the pulsations of the fuel pump 2 are entirely absorbed in the spring reservoir 13. The spring pressed piston exerts a constant unifo'rni pressure against the body of fuel contained in the c yiinder lil, even when the fuel is being try-passed through -the port 14 and ythus the column of fuel in the delivery pipe 5 always at a constant uniform pressure. 'it will he apparent that this pressure may he varied te meet the requirements of a r .y difiercnt types of burners hy merely adjusting the end cap 22. or, by substituting a stronger or weaker spring for the'- spring 19.

During periods when the engine is not operating, the spring reservoir will function to continue the pressure feed to the burner 6. At such times the main burner is usually burning low or is entirely extinguished and,

as the pilot burner consumes but a very small-amount of fuel, the quantity of fuel required from the spring reservoir 1s relatively small. l contemplate making this reservoir of such size that the fuel stored therein Will be ample to keep the pilot burning over night or even for a longer period.

When the reservoir vis exhausted to the pointy nhere it exerts no more pressure upon the fuel in the delivery pipe and it is'desired to start up the burner 6, pressure in ther system can be quickly built up by operation ofthe hand pump 23. This draws fuel from the supply tank land discharges it into the spring reservoir 13, forcing back the piston 15` and thereby' generating a pressure in the system. Obviously, for greater ease of opi eration, the hand pump 23 may have no connection with the supply tank 1 hut may he simply an air pump for creating an air' pressure in the reservoir 13. Such air as might be necessary for creating the requisite. pressure 1n the system would be exhausted through the port 1li as soon as the system resumed normal operation.

I do not intend to be limited to the particular details and arrangement herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. In a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a delivery pipe, pumping means for pumpingv fuel from said supply tank to said delivery pipe, an elastic reservoir having connection With said pumping means,l said elastic reser-` voir comprising a movable member having positions corresponding to the -maximum and minimum capacities of said'reservoir,

and means actuated by said movable mem-` ber only when in its position of maximum capacity for by-passing the fuel from said reservoir to said tank,

2.1n a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a delivery pipe` pumping means for ceding fuel from said supply tank to said della/ery pipe, an elastic reservoir connected'tf the outletl port of said pumping means, said' elastic reservoir having a relatively large degree of expansion, and means for bypass ing the fuel from said pumping means hack into said supply tank when said elastic res ervoir has received fuel to it predetermined capacity, said elastic reservoir operating `to f maintain pressure upon the fuel in said de.- livcry pipe for a considerable time interi/'al after said pumping means ceases operati f Il. in a fuel feed systeiina delivery pipe, pumping fuel from said suppv lll@ pipe,` an elastic reservoir connected to the outlet portV of said pumping means, said elastic reservoir comprising a movable member having positions corresponding to the maximum and minimum capacities of said reservoir, and by-pass means for lay-passing the fuel from said pumping means back into said supply tank, said by-pass means being operable by said movable member and having a lost motion relation therewith to bywall only at the'outer limit of its expansion.

movement.

5. In a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a delivery pipe, pumping means for 'feeding fuel from said supply tank to said delivery pipe, and means for maintaining a substantially constant pressure in said delivery pipe for a relatively longtime interval after said pumping means ceases operating, said means being operative to relieve pressures above a predetermined maximum.

6. In a fuel' feed system, a supply tank, a delivery pipe, Va pump for. pumping fuel from said supply tank to said deliver pipe, an expansion chamber connected to t e outlet port of said pump, said expansion chamber-comprising a movable piston, and a b pass port adapted to be uncovered by said piston at the outer limit of its expansion movement for b lpassing the fuel from said expansion cham er back to said supply tank.

7. In a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a

Amy name this 10th da of July 'delivery pipe, pumping means for feeding fuelfrom said supply tank to said delivery pipe, an elastic reservoir connected to the outlet port o-f said. pumping means, and a manually operated pump for creating a pressure in said elastic reservoir. i

8. In a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a delivery pipe, an engine driven pump for feeding fuel from said supply tank to said delivery pipe, a reservoir connected to said delivery pipe, a spring actuated piston in said reservoir, and a by-pass'port in said reservoir adapted to be over-run by saidA piston, said by-pass port having communication with said supply tank. f

l9. In a fuel feed system, a supply tank, a

burner, an engine driven pump for pumping fuel from said supply tank to said burner, a reservoir connected to the outlet port .of said pump, a spring-actuated piston in said reservoir controlling a by-pass therein communicating with said supply tank, and a manually operated pump for pumping fuel from said supp-ly tank into said reservoir.

10. In a steam automobile, a burner, a

liquid fuel supply tank, an engine driven pump for pumping fuel from said supplytank to said burner, an .expansion reservoirconnected to the outlet port of said engine driven pump, said reservoir 1 adapted to maintain pressurelupon the fuel at Said burner -for a considerable time interval after said engine driven pump has ceased operatpansio movement, a by-pass port in said reservoir connecting with said supply tank,

said by-pass port adapted to be opened by said piston at the outer limit of its expan# v sion movement, and means independent of said engine driven pump for generating a pressure in said expansion reservoir.

In vWitness whereof, I hereunto subscribe A. D. 1919.A WILLI M H. wiNsLoW. 

